troops amass at the gaza border. tragedy in texas. four people are killed and more than a dozen injured when a parade boat carrying wounded vet and their families are struck by a train. >> three dp employees face criminal charges from the gulf oil spill. the company agrees to pay a multimillion dollar settlement. staten island support. president obama visits one of new york city's neighborhoods hardest hit by hurricane sandy. hardest hit by >> this is the "cbs morning news" for friday, november 16, 2012. "cbs morning news" >> good morning. thanks for joining us. i'm duarte geraldino. this morning israel offered to temporarily stop it's offensive in the gaza strip with answers from rocket fire. israel said it would hold fire during the egyptian prime minister visit as long as hamas held its fire. the prime minister arrived in gaza this morning and visiting

to show solidarity with hamas the militants who rule gaza. shortly after the prime minister militants fired rockets into israel. you can see the smoke over the city this morning. violence between israelis and palestinians intensified this week with both sides firing hundreds of rockets across gaza's border with israel. the israeli military kept up its offensive overnight and into the morning. an air strike hit the ministry building. israel struck at suspected hamas rocket launching sites and weapons storage. palestinian health officials said 19 people have been killed since the israeli offensive began. the conflict could escalate even further israeli troops and tanks amassed at the border. >> i hope hamas and other terrorist organizations in gaza got the message. if not israel is prepared to take whatever action is necessary to defend our people.

>> despite that message, militants continued to attack targets in southern israel. three israelis were killed when a rocket struck their apartment building were buried thursday. neighbors said the threat of violence won't force her to leave. >> my place. i love this place. >> even though another rocket could come any time. >> even ten times. >> for the first time hamas launched iranian made rockets capable of reaching tel aviv. israeli defense officials say while hamas has fired over 300 rockets, israel's missile defense system intercepted 130 of them. this latest round of violence ratcheted up on wednesday, israel killed hamas's chief with an air strike. during his visit the egyptian prime minister called israel's attacks on gaza aggression the world needs to stop. former cia director david

petraeus was the on capitol hill this morning about the attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi. meanwhile the investigation into the sex scandal that cost petraeus his job is heating up. here's the latest. the cia opened up an investigation into petraeus conduct. defense secretary leon panetta asked the joint chiefs to review ethics training for officers and attorney general eric holder commenting on the petraeus affair says there was no security breach or threat to national security. susan mcginnis is in washington. susan, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. general petraeus may be asked about this extramarital affair but the focus today is on benghazi. petraeus went to libya after the killings and these leaders believe he has specific information no one else can offer. former cia director david petraeus is headed to capitol hill this morning to talk about the attacks on the u.s. consulate in benghazi. congressional leaders say he has

a unique insight into the attack. >> director petraeus went to tripoli, he interviewed many of the people as i understand it that were involved. >> reporter: house senate intelligence members spent thursday interviewing officials. they were shown a video taken from surveillance cameras at the consulate and from drones flying overhead. >> it begins from when the incident, before the incident started and it goes through the incident. and the exodus. >> reporter: as thorough as thursday's briefing was, members still have a lot of questions. >> we'll continue to get those answers. >> reporter: there's new information out of thursday's congressional hearing. lawmakers say cia confirmed to them that susan rice was told spontaneous protests over an anti-islamic film sparked the attack. rice was given the information as part of an unclassified briefing before she appeared on sunday morning talk shows five days after the attack.

>> that unclassified version turned out to be inaccurate as we found out later. >> reporter: several republican senators are threatening to block rice from becoming the next secretary of state because of her assertions that the attacks didn't appear to be pre-planned. petraeus' testimony is critical to this investigation. several more hearings are yet to be held. a preliminary investigation indicates the railroad crossing gate and lights weren't working when a freight train slammed into a parade float in midland texas. the float was carrying wounded veterans and spouses yesterday. four people are dead. 17 are injured. witnesses say the float was about halfway across the tracks when the crossing gates came down. >> the truck tried to blow his horn to get the other people out of his way. the gates actually hit the first people on the trailer.

started going back up and it wasn't, i'd say eight to ten seconds later the train blew through the end of the trailer. >> it's unclear if the train saw the float. the national transportation safety board is investigating. attorney general eric holder says the investigation into the bp gulf oil spill isn't over even though bp has agreed to pay the highest fine in history. the $4.5 billion settlement comes 2 1/2 years after the rig explosion that killed 11 oil riggers. three bp employees were also charged, two with manslaughter. manuel bojorquez reports. >> reporter: the two former bp employees charged with manslaughter were the two highest ranking supervisors on deepwater horizon. they were in charge with the task of grave danger. tests found signs that combustible gas was seeping into the well. the indictment alleges bp

managers failed to call engineers on shore to discuss the abnormal readings. instead they allowed work on the well to continue. the gas came up the well and exploded. u.s. attorney general eric holder. >> this is an indication, perhaps a vindication that we have shown and the company admitted as a result of their actions people died there unnecessarily. >> federal authorities charged former bp vice president with lying to investigators about the amount of oil leaking from the oil. according to the indictment he insisted 5,000 barrels of oil were leaking every day when he was aware that bp's own engineers estimated it was leaking as much as 82,000 barrels per day. >> he cherry picked pages from documents, withheld other documents all together, and lied

to congress and others to make this spill appear less catastrophic than it was. >> shelly anderson's husband jason died in the explosion. it was supposed to be his final day on deepwater horizon. she has mixed emotions about today's announcement. >> i wish that we would have been able to have our day in court and i would have been able to tell a jury exactly what our loss is, how much we miss ay -- jason. >> the three men who are charged say they are innocent. in fact, a lawyer for one of the men called his clients a scapegoat. bp settlement with the department of justice ends criminal prosecution of the company but bp could still face another $20 billion in fines if it loses a civil lawsuit next year. manuel bojorquez, cbs news, new orleans. coming up on the morning news, in the disaster zone. president obama offers comforts to victims of hurricane sandy.

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this just released video showing the power, destruction and suddenness of hurricane sandy. it's surveillance video from an underground train station in hoboken, new jersey during the storm. water pours into the station so fast it quickly flood the tracks and everything else. president obama visited one of new york city's neighborhoods that was devastated by sandy. randall pinkston reports. >> reporter: president obama offered hugs and support to new yorkers recovering from superstorm sandy. he visited a hard hit neighborhood in staten island where 19 people died. the president met with residents who lost everything. >> we're thinking of you. >> reporter: the president toured the storm-ravaged area with new york's governor and the mayor of new york city. he thanked first responders, military personnel and fema workers. >> i'm very proud of you, new

york. you guys are tough. you bounce back. just as america always bounces back. the same is going to be true this time out. >> reporter: the president met privately with a mother and father from a neighborhood here their two young sons died after they were swept away by the storm. >> obviously, i expressed to them as a father, as a parent, my heartbreak over what they went through. >> reporter: 47,000 new yorkers have applied for housing help through fema. many want the government to act faster. >> everybody thinks they will be first in line. there's people who need assistance a lot faster than others. so eventually they will get to everybody. >> what do you think about president obama's visit? >> hopefully he can do some help down here. i hope things change. >> reporter: after the tour the president urged insurance companies to quote, show some heart and some spirit in helping these people rebuild. randall pinkston, cbs news, staten island, new york.

straight ahead your friday morning weather and in this morning's moneywatch more trouble for twinkie maker hostess. some long awaited news on the job front for college graduates. this is the "cbs morning news". graduates. this is the "cbs morning news". and this craftsman impact wrench, for $89.99. this is how to gift. this is sears. till you finish your vegetables. [ clock ticking ] [ male announcer ] there's a better way... v8 v-fusion. vegetable nutrition they need, fruit taste they love. could've had a v8. or...try kids boxes! military families face, we understand. at usaa, we know military life is different. we've been there. that's why every bit of financial advice we offer is geared specifically to current and former military members and their families. [ laughs ]

dad! dad! [ applause ] ♪ [ male announcer ] life brings obstacles. usaa brings advice. call or visit us online. we're ready to help. forecast in some cities around the country. new york mostly cloudy, 50 degrees. miami morning showers 81. chicago mostly sunny 49 trees. dallas mostly sunny 66. l.a. chance of showers, 70 degrees.

time now for a check of the national forecast. the east will be mainly sunny and dry with cool temperatures. much of the south sunny and dry with below average temperatures. pleasant weather extends across the midwest. rain and mountain snow will reach from washington state to central california. on cbs moneywatch it's do or die for snack maker hostess and the hiring outlook for the next crop of college graduates, ashley morrison is here in new york with more. good morning. >> reporter: this could be the day when hostess brand goes out of business. the maker of twinkies, wonder bread and other products say it may liquidate its business as early as today unless striking be bakers go back to work. 18,000 workers would lose their job. the company shut three plants earlier this week. hostess told cbs news some employees have returned network. it's not clear if it's enough to avoid the threatened shutdown. continued concerns about the fiscal cliff in the u.s. slowed down stocks in asia.

hang seng was up a quarter of a percent while the nikkei had a big rally adding more than 2%. wall street stocks posted a third consecutive decline driven by weak retail forecasts and higher unemployment claims. the dow lost 28 points on thursday. nasdaq ended nine points lower. investors will be watching today's meeting between president obama and congressional leaders for signs of a break in the fiscal cliff negotiations. federal reserve chairman ben bernanke says tight fisted banks are keeping the nation's economy from getting better. he says many credit worthy borrowers are onable to get loans to buy new homes. he says banks lending rules have slumped too far the other way after the lax mortgage lending that led to the financial crisis. the red ink gets deeper for the postal service. the agency reported a record loss of almost $16 billion for the fiscal year that ended on september 30th. the postal service is not taxpayer funded.

it blames much of its problems on congress for forcing it to pay a fund for future retiree health benefits. fedex and united parcel service are the target of a federal crackdown against the illegal sale of prescription pain killers. u.p.s. is likely to settle the case but fedex will fight any charges. the investigation is part of a wider federal effort against companies that aided illegal drug sales from online pharmacies. the hiring picture is expected to be mixed in the coming year for college graduates. a michigan state university survey of 2,000 employers suggests employers will increase hiring of new four year grads by 5%. those with associate degrees will see a 30% increase but mba hiring is expected to drop sharply. and smartphones are expected to play a much bigger role this holiday shopping season. "usa today" reports retailers are making increased use of smartphones and other technology. the point is to get consumers to

buy in the store, not online. they will do it by offering discounts and other incentives all with the use of an app. there's almost an app for everything these days. i'm waiting for the app that does laundry and cooks dinner at my house. >> i use them to stay out of the stores, ashley. ashley morrison here in new york. thanks. when we return another look at this morning's top stories and sports shocker. a former pro basketball star is in jail on charges of assault. [ elizabeth ] i like to drink orange juice or have lemon in my water... eat tomato sauce on my spaghetti. the acidic levels in some foods can cause acid erosion. the enamel starts to wear down. and you can't grow your enamel back. i was quite surprised, as only few as four exposures a day what that can do to you. it's quite a lesson learned. my dentist recommended that i use pronamel. because it helps to strengthen the enamel. he recommended that i use it every time i brush. you feel like there is something that you're doing to help safeguard against the acid erosion. and i believe it's doing a good job.

♪ ♪ ♪ grown in america. picked and packed at the peak of ripeness. the same essential nutrients as fresh. del monte. bursting with life. israelis are trading fire. y both sides are turning to et for help. plus: a big bust at the steakhouse. police officersm around the bay nab a dangers suspect. the unlikely coincidence that led to his capture. and defying demands. strikig hostess workers refuse to yd despite a liquidation threa. what could happen to the twe after today. join us for cbs 5 eyewitness news this morning... beginng

at 4:30. ,,,, here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. washington partly sunny 54 degrees. atlanta partly sunny, 61. st. louis mostly sunny 56 degrees. denver a mix of clouds and sun 54. seattle mostly cloudy 50 degrees. here's another look at the morning's top stories. overnight israel continued its

attack on the gaza strip, one missile flattened a section of the interior ministry and israeli troops are amassing on the gaza border. yesterday gaza militants launched its first rocket attack on tel aviv. >> david petraeus was the on capitol hill about the deadly attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi, libya. the cia opened an investigation into the sex scandal. >> former nba star chamique holdsclaw shot into a car of a former plane on tuesday. she broke the car windows with a bat. she was one of the biggest names in college basketball history. she led tennessee to three championships. her ex-girlfriend jennifer lacy is a current wnba player. accused cincinnati air

traffic her a chance to avoid jail but it went up in smoke. >> on wednesday a judge told damaine mitchell he had a chance to avoid jail if he gave up smoking marijuana. mitchell said he would try but asked to get at least one more joint in. the judge said no and will decide what to do with him at a hearing on monday. coming up after your local news on cbs "this morning" a live update from israel on the latest round of fighting. plus is the risk of injury a threat to the future of pro football? nfl commissioner roger goodell joins us. i'm duarte geraldino. this is the "cbs morning news." [ female announcer ] born from the sweet monk fruit, something this delicious could only come from nature. new nectresse. the 100% natural no-calorie sweetener made from the goodness of fruit. new nectresse. sweetness naturally.

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as we ring in the holiday season it's not uncommon for us to hear the festive ringing of bells.

nowadays there's only one fact foreleft in america to making these bells. and it's facing tremendous challenges. >> reporter: beneath the melted metal and burned brick, 45-year-old matt bevin searched for a familiar sound. for 180 years this was the site of his family business. bevin brothers. but in may lightning destroyed his family's history. >> to know that my ancestors for six generations has stood on this exact spot and made bells -- in belltown, usa means a lot to me. >> reporter: east hampton, connecticut is called belltown, u.s. because at once there were 30 bell makers here. bevins was the last one. bevin brothers made the first bicycle bell in 1861. in 1923 bevince bells started calling children to the good humor ice cream truck and one of

its bells had a starring role in the christmas class jic "it's a wonderful life." >> look daddy, every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings. >> reporter: today matt bevin is starting over. 14 of his 27 employees are back at work in this temporary factory trying to rebuild their biggest order, 25,000 bells for the salvation army's kettle ring. >> we aren't just making wishes. we're not even just in the bell business. we're in the memory business. we're making memories. >> reporter: since the fire hundreds of those memories have made their way to his mail box in the form of handwritten letters, all from people who wanted to share their own bell stories. >> i'm going to start crying. i'm glad your bells are still made in the united states of america. >> reporter: he vows to rebuild where this rubble now lies. >> what is it about bells that move people? >> when you think about a bell it's just two little pieces of

metal banging together but they symbolize something much greater. they symbolize dreams, they symbolize joy, they symbolize memories, they symbolize hope for people. it won't sound good i can tell you that right now. >> reporter: a hope that the memories once created here will one day ring above the ashes. chip reid, cbs news, east hampton, connecticut. coming up after your local news on cbs "this morning" live reports from israel on the latest fighting. we'll hear from george mitchell the former u.s. envoy for middle east peace plus roger goodell the commissioner of the national football league. no reservations, celebrity chef anthony bourdain stops by the studio. that's the "cbs morning news" for this friday. thanks for watching. i'm duarte geraldino, have a great day. ,,,,

>> your realtime captioner: linda marie macdonald hi, everyone. good morning. it is friday, it's november 16. i'm frank mallicoat. >> you're happy to say friday. >> i got the friday part out. had a little trouble with november. >> good morning, i'm michelle griego. time now about 4:30. i hope you have your umbrella because we have our eye on the storm. >> lawrence is tracking the latest conditions. is it going to be a soaker? >> i think we'll get a little soaking on and off throughout the day today. sometimes it will come down, sometimes it will be